Chain-catch.



A. C. DUNKLEBERGER.

CHAIN CATCH.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 20. 1917.

Patented 001;. 9,1917.

INVENTOR ATTO R N EY AUGUSTUS C. DUNKLEBEBGEB, OF ERWIN, TENNESSEE.

CHAIN-CATCH.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Get. 9, 191?.

Application filed April 20, 1917. Serial No. 163,487.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, AUGUSTUS C. DUN- KLEBERGER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Erwin, in the county of UIllCOl and State of Tennessee, have invented cer tain new and useful Improvements in Chain-Catches, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a catch designed for securing the ends of neck chalns, beads, bracelets, and other articles of ewelry and the like, and has for its ob ect the provision of a strong, simple, and easily manipulated device of neat appearance and artistic design for securely fastening the ends of a chain or bracelet and holding said ends against any chance of separating or becoming loose without properly manipulating the locking means.

With this as the principal object in view, the invention consists in the novel construction, combination, and arrangement of parts hereinafter described, pointed out in the appended claims and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a view of the catch somewhat enlarged as it appears when fastening the ends of a chain, the latter being shown in dotted lines,

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal vertical sectional View of the catch on a larger scale,

Fig. 3 is a view of the catch seen from the end into which the fastening is inserted,

Fig. 1 is an enlarged perspective view of the spring gripping member, and

Fig. 5 is a central cross sectional view on the line 55 of Fig. 2.

In the drawings, 10 indicates the body of the catch or clasp which may be made of any design or shape consistent with the use to which it is to be put and ornamented as desired. In the drawings the body is shown as of circular cross section tapering toward each end, one end 11 being smaller than the opposite end 12 and is provided with a ring 13 for the attachment of one end of a chain, bracelet, neck piece or other article 14. The body 10 is made hollow from end to end, the

opening 15 therein being circular if desired,

but is preferably made elongated as shown in Fig. 5 having a greater dimension in one direction than in the other. At the end 12, the body 10 is bent over as at 16 to partly close the interior of the body, an elongated opening 17 being formed in the closed end 16 for the insertion of the locking pin 18 having a pointed end 19 at one end and terminating in a ring 20 at the opposite end for the attachment of the chain or bracelet 14. The ring 20 is formed with a base or collar 21 where it is connected to the pin 18, said base bearing upon the exterior of the end 16 of the body 10. The pin is of reduced diameter at this point as shown at 22 to provide a shoulder 23 for a purpose to be described later.

Within the body 10 is placed the spring locking member 241 which is preferably made of a single strip of resilient material bent sharply upon itself at its center as at 25, this bend when the member is in position being near'the base or bottom of the opening 15 in the body 10. The parts 26 and 27 of the locking member 2 1 project toward the end 12 of the body 10 in a slightly curved direction and away from each other until they reach a point a short distance beyond the longitudinal center of the body 10. At this point the parts 26 and 27 are bent sharply in opposite directions as at 28 and 29 so as to cross each other, these parts being of half the width of the parts 26 and 27 so as not to occupy a greater space in the body 10. These parts 28 and 29 after crossing each other extend in straight lines for a short distance and are then again bent and continued parallel to each other as at 30 and 31 and to the longitudinal axis of the body until they reach the forward end of the opening 15. Here their terminal ends 32 and 33 are bent at a right angle toward each other and each provided with a U- shaped notch 3e. Just in rear of the bends that form the parts 28 and 29, the two parts 26 and 27 are each provided with a curved finger piece 35 projecting outwardly from said parts and passing through slots 36 formed in opposite sides of the body 10 in convenient position for the thumb and finger of either hand to engage and press upon so as to force the two'parts of the spring members 26 and 27 together, and cause a separation of the notched ends 3st of the terminals 32 and 33. These terminals in operation fit snugly against the end wall 16 of the body 10 and the notches 34 therein grip the reduced portion 22 of the locking pin just behind the shoulder 23, the relation of the parts being such that the resiliency of the locking member maintains the terminals 23 and the end plate 16 draw the base or collar 21 against the outer face of said plate and in this manner hold the locking pin firmly in place against any longitudinal movement, and furthermore the shoulder 23 pressing perpendicularly against the termina-ls 32 and 33 and to the direction of force when applied-to the ring to separate the parts will overcome any tendency for the? spring member to separate and release the pin. Thus, it is readily seen how the catch or clamp will hold the two ends of-a chain firmly together and prevent their separation by any pulling of chain unless the finger pieces 35' are pressed together.

The width of the spring member 24 is slightly less than the width of the opening 15 in the body 10 and therefore this member will fit snugly within the body without being secured therein. It will be understood that the parts 30 and 31 of the spring member and their terminals 32 and 33 are of the same width as the remainder of the strip, the only narrow portions being the two parts 28 and 29 that cross.

In using the clamp or catch, it is only necessary to push the locking pin 18 into the opening 17 to secure the ends of the chain or'bracelet together, the pointed end 19 of the pinpassing between the U-shaped notches of the locking member, separate these parts until the shoulder 23 has passed beyond the terminal ends 32 and 33 when the spring member will be close behind the shoulder and'lock the pin securely in place and can only be released when the finger pieces 35 are pressed together.

lVhat I claim is:

1. A fastening device for the ends of a chain or the like comprising a hollow body adapted to be secured at one end to the end of the chain,a locking pin adapted to be secured to the other end of the chain and having a shoulder thereon, a resilient locking member within said body having gripping ends adapted to normally engage said pin behind the shoulder and through their resiliency maintain engagement with the pin for holding it within the body, and means on said locking member projecting through the sides of the body for operating said gripping ends and disengaging said memher from the pin.

2. A fastening device for the ends of a chain or the like comprising a hollow body adapted to be secured to one end of a chain and having an opening in the other end communicating with the interior of the ntense 3. A clasp or catch for joining the ends of -a chain comprising a hollow body having a ring at one end and an opening in the opposite end commimicating with the interior of the body, a locking member within said body comprising a strip of'resilient material bent upon itself and normally bearing against opposite sides of the body, said doubled parts of the spring member crossing each other and then extending to the end of the body having the opening therein, the terminals of said member being bent at right angles and provided with notches, a locking pin having a shoulder adapted to be inserted in the opening in said body and be engaged by the notched ends of the locking member, and means on said locking pin for the attachment of one end of a chain.

4. A catch or clasp for connecting the ends of a chain or the like comprising a hollow body havinga ring at one end and an elongated opening in the other end communicating with the interior of the body, a locking member within the body formed of a strip of resilient material'bent upon itself to form two spring parts that extend a determined distance toward the open end of said body then crossed and continued to said end, the terminals of said parts of the spring member being bent to lie in a plane perpendicular to the axis of the body and having notched ends, said terminals bearing against the inner end of the body having the elongated opening therein, finger pieces on each part of said locking member adapted to project through notches in opposite sides of the body, and a lock pin having a shoulder adapted to be engaged by the terminal of the locking member for holding said pin in place.

In testimony whereof I aiiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

AUGUSTUS C. DUNKLEBERGER.

Witnesses:

Cncn, Bmmnsm, J. O. FLEBHNG. 

